I just got back from the Xcel Center in St. Paul.

[Occam Bandage]

Holy fuck. Holy goddamn fuck.

I've been standing since 230pm, with only occasional breaks to sit on the ground. My feet are tired, my legs are tired, my lower back is sore, and I'm still in the middle of the biggest poli-high of my life. I stood on the floor of the center, 15 feet away when Barack Hussein Motherfucking Obama announced that he was the Democratic nominee, and proceeded to give one of the best goddamn speeches I have ever heard.

The crowd was electric. It was ecstatic. And he was able to control it like a pet, even as he was focusing his message for the cameras. He has a talent like nobody else in politics--and thank God, enormous vision and real substance behind his unmatched raw ability. He isn't just the next Democratic Presidential nominee, guys.

He's the next Democratic President.

He's going to be the President who history is going to remember as the one who brought our soldiers home to America, as the one who brought health care to America, as the one who brought respect--and respectability--back to America, as the one who closed the door on the failed Republican no-government experiment in America. And we, fellow Democrats, are the movement that made that happen.

Yes, all Democrats. Hillary isn't his opponent any more. She's an ally; she just needs a few days to work things out. The days of John McCain sitting back and firing spitballs at whoever was on top of the tangle ended tonight. From here on out, it's open political war between those who want to stand up and change America for the better, and those who want to sit down and let it stay the same. And after seeing Johnny Mac's petty little drone-whine, and seeing Obama's fantastic celebratory speech, I have to say, I think the Good Guys can win this one.

Now let's take a breath, gird up, and go kick some Republican ass. We're all in this together, folks. Never give up. We can make this happen.

Yes, we can.

[Oceansaway]

1. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now !!

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
MacFadden and Whitehead

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

There's been so many things thats held us down.
But now it looks like things are finally comin' around.
I know we've got, a long long way to go,
and where we'll end up, I don't know.
But we won't let nothin' hold us back,
we're putting our selves together,
we're polishing up our act!
If you felt we've been held down before,
I know you'll refuse to be held down anymore!

Don't you let nothing, nothing,
Stand in your way!
I want ya'll to listen, listen,
to every word I say, every word I say!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

I know you know someone that has a negative vow,
and if you're trying to make it they only push you aside.
They really don't have, no where to go.
Ask them where they're going, they don't know.
But we won't let nothin' hold us back,
we're gonna put our selves together,
we're gonna polish up our act!
And if you've ever been held down before,
I know you'll refuse to be held down anymore!

Don't you let nothing, nothing,
Stand in your way!
I want ya'll to listen, listen,
to every word I say, every word I say!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

62. #1 Photos at the Excel Energy Center Tues June 3

Here are photos of Barack Obama's primary night rally tonight, Tues June 3, 2008
at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Look at the diversity of this crowd, as well as the size.

There were an estimated 17,000 inside the arena and another 15,000 outside.
At one point Barack is covered by supporters hands and secret service have to actually
pull them back. The photos of Barack and Michelle make clear the genuine affection and
respect they have for each other. I look forward to the day that the Obama girls
get their puppy!



Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a primary night rally Tuesday,
June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)




An overall view of the South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally for
US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) at the Xcel Energy Center in
St. Paul, Minnesota June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes




Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is greeted by supporters as he arrives
at a primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. Obama claimed the Democratic
presidential nomination Tuesday night in a long-time-coming victory speech that minced no words
about his opponent in the fall campaign, Republican John McCain. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)




US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and his wife Michelle greet
supporters at his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally at the
Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed




US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks during his South Dakota
and Montana presidential primary election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota,
June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes

[Occam Bandage]

63. Great pics. I'll bet the Republican convention doesn't get half as loud or as excited.

[Muttocracy]

73. I bet the GOP builds a REALLY big stage to fill up the space. nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

65. #2 Photos at the Excel Energy Center Tues June 3

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., reaches out to his wife Michelle after
his speech at a primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)




US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and his wife Michelle wave
to the crowd after Obama delivered his speech during his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary
election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/ Eric Miller



Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrives with his wife Michelle to speak at
a primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)





Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill. gets a hug after a election night rally from
his wife Michelle in St Paul, Minn. Tuesday, June 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)



Michelle Obama smiles at her husband Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,
after his speech at a primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)




Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is hugged by his wife Michelle
after his speech at the primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)



US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) waves with his wife Michelle
after his speech at his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally in
St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Eric Miller



US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) waves to the crowd wth his
wife Michelle at his side after delivering his speech at his South Dakota and Montana presidential
primary election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/ Eric Miller

[glowing]

76. That woman has some amazing arms..

What I love the most about them, is that they love one another so much... and its a real true love. And they love their girls and seem to be very good parents...

[SaveAmerica]

80. Those pictures are bringing tears to my eyes...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

67. #3 Photos at the Excel Energy Center Tues June 3

Covered in hands.

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., shakes hands with supporters after his primary night rally
Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)




Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., covered in hand as supporters surround
him after his primary election night speech in St Paul, Minn. Tuesday, June 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)




US Secret Service agents pull supporters hands off of US Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Barack Obama (C) (D-IL) at his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election
night rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed




Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., supporters, from left, Megan Bott, Michelle Boese,
and Busi Moshoeshoe-Sikosana, cheer as they watch Obama give a speech at a primary night rally on television
at Wiley's Tavern Tuesday night, June 3, 2008 in Sioux Falls, S.D. (AP Photo/Dave Eggen)




Supporters of US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) cheer as
Obama speaks at his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally
at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed




Supporters of US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) cheer
their candidate during his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally
at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed




Supporters of US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) cheer
at his South Dakota and Montana presidential primary election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center
in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. REUTERS/Eric Miller




Supporters wave flags as they await the arrival of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,
for a primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)




A supporter holds up a banner as he awaits the arrival of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,
for a primary night rally Tuesday, June 3, 2008, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)




David Axelrod, chief strategist for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign,
speaks on his mobile phone after stepping off Obama's plane in St Paul, June 3, 2008, en route to
Obama's final primary night rally. The United States is holding its final democratic primaries in South Dakota
and Montana on Tuesday. REUTERS/Jason Reed

[AZBlue]

75. Amazing photos, all of them! Thanks for posting them!!

[alphafemale]

78. Love this pic. Pure joy.

:patriot:

[Left coast liberal]

88. Me too. This is the one that got my water works going.

She will remember that moment all her life.

[goclark]

95. And just look at all those hands just yearning to touch him

He is electricity! :hug:

Doesn't matter the age,gender,race ~they all are really ONE VOICE for him.

Love the hands in that photo.

[DS1]

85. David Axelrod, not only is he clearly good, but he doesn't look like a smarmy prick like ALL

of Hillary's team.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Well it was "Holy Fuck" on TV, too

You and your 20,000 friends came through loud and clear. Musta been great.

[Condem]

3. Get yourself a drink, Occam

Let us toast.

[Bright Eyes]

4. YES WE CAN!

[kid a]

5. Thanks for the personal account!! Any pics???

K & R

[Occam Bandage]

12. No pictures, unfortunately. Just some damn vivid memories.

[Kittycat]

6. Excellent Report!!!

How exciting for you to get to be there, and so close to it all.

McSame doesn't stand a chance!

[Eurobabe]

7. Thanks for the report, I just woke up

I wanted to see it, but I stayed up too late on the flip side last night. Hopefully they will replay it. :hi:

WOOT!!! :woohoo:

[Muttocracy]

it's on BarackObama.com - link from home page

:hi:

[Eurobabe]

71. thanks JIIOU!!!

Going to watch it now. :D

[tammywammy]

8. That's really awesome!

I'm very jealous.

[Fleshdancer]

9. I'm so jealous of you right now

"I stood on the floor of the center, 15 feet away when Barack Hussein Motherfucking Obama announced that he was the Democratic nominee, and proceeded to give one of the best goddamn speeches I have ever heard."

I felt the energy of that arena radiate through my television screen. I can't begin to imagine how incredible it was in person! Did you take any pictures??

[ClayZ]

10. What a speech.!!!

K and R

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Hey Occam, are you going to the Media Reform conference this weekend?

It's in Minneapolis.

[Occam Bandage]

49. Barring unforseen tragedy.

[proud2BlibKansan]

54. I will be there!

:bounce:

[mzmolly]

13. I heard that the crowd was as large outside as it was inside?

Which, of course made me feel better about missing it. ;)

Glad it was as phenominal as it appeared to be. Thanks for being there.

:hi:

[K Gardner]

14. Best Freakin Post of the Entire DAY !! Gobama ! Go Occam !! Thank you :-)

[Jane Austin]

15. You were an AWESOME crowd!

Just amazing.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

16. Thank you - I envy you!

I just read your post to my husband, and we're sitting here smiling. We're ready to do whatever it takes to help this wonderful man get elected.

YES WE CAN!!!

[SallyMander]

17. K and R

And WOOOHOOOO!!!!! :D

:bounce:

[BlooInBloo]

18. BlooInMotherfuckingBloo is SOOOOO fucking jealous!!!!!

:rofl:

[VolcanoJen]

19. Occam, this is for you:

Obama pwn3d McCain!!



You guys made the world proud tonight. The media kidz can't stop talking about how loud and boisterous and how freaking enormous that crowd was!!!!!

:bounce:

We were a part of history, and we'll always remember where we were and what we were doing the night Barack Black Eagle Obama won the 2008 Primaries. But you... you've got the best story.

:hug: Occam! :hug:

Edit: Oh, and Volcano muthafuckin' Jen is jealous, too!!!!!

[mzmolly]

29. Since we're starting a trend Mz muthafuckin' Molly is jealous, too!!!!!

;)

[stillcool]

20. It looked great on the screen...

but your words made it way better! This is our moment, and I'm so happy for you that you were there to see it!!

[Bjorn Against]

21. I was just there as well...

And the line I waited in to get inside was by far the longest line I have ever seen in my life. It was literally at least a mile long, it wrapped through a huge chunk of downtown St. Paul. It took us an hour and a half to get inside, and I don't think they let in too many after I got in. I would be interested to hear how many were turned away, but I would be surprised if there weren't at least 10,000 people who were not able to get in. It was a historic night, and I was really glad to be able to see it.

[myrna minx]

26. WHen did you get in line? I was going to go, but I got a cold instead.

:-( Did you get rained on? The speech seemed rather amazing and you folks were so fired up. It was exhilarating to watch. :toast:

[Bjorn Against]

36. I think by the time we found the back of the line it was sometime between 5:30 and 6:00

And no there was no rain, it was surprisingly cool for a June evening though.

[myrna minx]

41. MSNBC reported that there were 15,000 people who were still outside after

Xcel was filled. I'm so glad you were able to get inside. :toast:

[Occam Bandage]

45. Yeah, there was rain a bit earlier, so most of the people in the front had umbrellas.

Which, of course, are not allowed inside, so there was a fairly large pile of lonely umbrellas sitting unattended outside. To the credit of Minnesotans (and, particularly, of Minnesotan Democrats), when I was leaving I noticed people picking up and leaving with their umbrellas.

All I can say is that back in Chicago, I doubt their umbrellas would still be waiting for them three hours later.

[Mister Ed]

69. You must've been near us in line.

We took our places somewhere between 5:30 and 6. Wasn't the vibe just awesome?

[mzmolly]

32. MSNBC reported 15K outside

which made me feel better for not making it, actually.

:hi:

[Tinksrival]

50. I saw you!

msnbc said 15,000 outside!

[grantcart]

22. I saw you - you looked good - oh and too bad you missed McCains great speech

[Occam Bandage]

31. Nah. They showed it on the Jumbotron. People booed him, of course. Eventually

they must have gotten sick of his simpering whinefest, because they then switched back to crowd shots and retrospective videos of Obama speeches and volunteer/canvassing stories.

[MrsBrady]

23. thank you for not dissing Hillary

:hi:

[greguganus]

61. who? n/t

[sandnsea]

I felt the chill all the way out here

You guys were incredible. You put McLame to Shame - no doubt who the next President will be.

[Barack_America]

24. So glad you were there.

Thanks for the report.

And Gobama! :bounce:

[sfam]

25. Awesome post - Thanks! I think I got tweety's leg thrill from afar...

It was a terrific terrific speech on a historic moment. I'm truly jealous of you!

[JimGinPA]

27. Thanks For The Recap...

It's always worth the wait to see him.

K&R

[kickitup]

28. I know I'm worrying excessively tonight

but he seemed to look either tired or worried right after his speech. Am I just imagining this?

[mzmolly]

38. Yep, you're imagining it.

"Welcome"

[writes3000]

48. I think he wanted to look serious and thoughtful...

Not excessively tired or lightweight.

This was for those who are paying attention for the first time.

I noticed how much he was tamping down on his smiles.

[still_one]

30. You are wrong about Hillary. As Andrew Sullivan said about Clinton's speech

"The speech tonight was a remarkable one for a candidate who has lost the nomination, though not remarkable for a Clinton. It was an assertion that she has won the nomination, and a refusal to concede anything to her opponent. Classless, graceless, shameless, relentless. Pure Clinton.

Her narcissism requires that she deprive her opponent of a night, or a second, of gratification or attention. And she has now won, in her Bush-like version of reality, 18 million votes. Her invitation for her supporters to email their suggestions to her website is pure theater, a way of keeping herself in the spotlight, and maneuvering her delegates to demand a second spot on the ticket. The way she is now doing this - by an implicit threat, backed by mccain, to claim that Obama is an illegitimate nominee if she does not get her way - is designed to humiliate the nominee sufficiently to wound him enough to lose the election.

Either way, she is clearly intent on gettng Obama defeated this fall if she is not offered the vice-presidency. And if she gets the veep nod, the way she has gotten it will allow her to argue that a November loss was not her loss. It was his. And she will run again in 2012.

She will not go away. The Clintons will never go away. And they will do all they can to cripple any Democrat who tries to replace them. In the tent or out of it, it is always about them. And they are no longer rivals to Obama; THEY ARE THREATS."

[ruby slippers]

33. we could tell and hey, I saw you.......or at least your hand.....

glad you had the opportunity. You will never forget that moment and this night.

Did you get any pictures?

[RBInMaine]

34. GREAT POST !! 100% WITH YOU !!

[Brigid]

35. Ladies and gentlemen, the next POTUS . . .

Barack Obama! :patriot:

K & R. Thank you for sharing.

[AtomicKitten]

37. Hell yes we can!!!

Thanks for sharing your great story and on to the general election !!

K&R :D

[DangerousRhythm]

39. AWESOME!

You're so lucky! It was a great day when he came to Houston but this would blow that out of the water. :rofl:

The crowd was amazing too! :D

:dem:

[billyoc]

40. This was the moment! This was the TIME!!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[nomaco-10]

42. Even the freepers see the handwriting on the wall....

It was a GREAT speech. Lucky you to get to see it in person.

[ruby slippers]

46. yeah, the freeper wolf cowers finally.....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

43. Cool!!

I'm glad you managed to get in. I was planning on going with some people from work and were going to walk downtown, but by about 6:00 we realized we had no chance of getting in so instead we stayed in and had some drinks and watched on TV. It would have been great to see it live but downtown St. Paul looked just impossible.

What a great night.. :D

[blogslut]

44. How cool for you!

It's been the best night. The only downer was when my brother decided to call just as Obama gave his speech. I love my brother but man, his timing was off. I missed the whole thing live.

I made this gif and I intend to post it as often as possible:

[redqueen]

90. Glad to hear that...

love the gif... saw it on Skinner's thread too.

:)

[DerekJ]

47. You lucky *expletive deleted* *expletive deleted* *expletive deleted* .em

[zulchzulu]

51. Thanks for standing out there and being there! K&R!

[TexasLady]

52. You were part of history tonight.

My Grandkids will read about it. and you were part of it after all..We all are!!!

[Fly by night]

53. With all the "mo-fo"ing in this thread, you folks are making me nostalgic for federal prison.

Not.

I did learn from my federal Bureau of Prisons halfway house dormies that felons can use "mo-fo" as every part of speech. It loses its power (but not its menace) with every utterance.

Now back to sleep in my own bed (something I fantasized about for eighteen months, sharing space with a roomful of strangers).

[swishyfeet]

55. I heard there was a rock concert that opened for him.

:shrug:

like we had here in PDX...

Good on ya Occam. The achy back will fade, but being there in person for the first of his victory speeches is a wonderful thing.

[Occam Bandage]

58. Yeah, everyone was just there to watch

some University of Minnesota communications professor with a head cold. Half the crowd left after that introduction ;)

[DesEtoiles]

56. feast your eyes...

[Occam Bandage]

59. Great pictures! Hadn't seen a few of those, thanks!

[Veruca Salt]

87. I love LOVE love that dress in the 2nd picture!

It's gorgeous, as is she in it! She has the best taste in clothes! :loveya:

[apocalypsehow]

57. ...

:thumbsup:

[Swamp Rat]

60. WOOHOO!! ........ ¡Si se puede!

[Aloha Spirit]

64. "like a pet"! we make great pets ;-)

[crickets]

66. Wow, you lucky thing!

Thanks for posting the great report so quickly. Woohoo!

[Barrymores Ghost]

68. Can I have your autograph?

Lucky bastard!:toast:

[Kaleko]

70. You've got some serious juice flowing through that post.

The Force is with you, Occam Knight. Infectious, yummmm.

[EFerrari]

72. I'm so happy you got to be there for that moment.

Thanks for the story.

:)

[pnorman]

74. Here's the video:

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
and here's the transcript:http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/03/obama_speech

pnorman

[Coexist]

77. awesome!

[SaveAmerica]

79. Thanks for the goosebumps! I said the same thing a month ago about him

10 feet away I told my kids 'we're standing 10 feet from the next president of the United States'. That was before I was 0 feet away and shook his hand!!

Congrats on being a witness to history!!

[npincus]

81. Thanks for the post !

Which one was you?



:hi:

[Demrock6]

82. Yes we can, Yes we did!

Time to lock and load my friends.

Not matter how you cut it, Obama beat the Clinton machine. Something the gop has never done. He is better and stronger for it. Now republicans, he is coming for you.

[Emit]

83. Thanks for posting, Occam Bandage!

What an historic event to remember -- so cool you could be there. I caught parts of the speech last night -- have yet to watch the whole thing. Have you seen it on line? When the camera pans out, can you see yourself in the crowd?

Thanks for posting -- incredible. Any idea how many people total were at the event inside? (I read elsewhere that there were thousands who didn't get in.)

[SKKY]

84. "Barack Hussein Motherfucking Obama"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That's "President Barack Hussein Motherfucking Obama" to you there mister!!!!

[Arugula Latte]

92. That one made me laugh out loud

I sort of barked like a seal when I read that ... :rofl:

[bullwinkle428]

86. Too bad you missed McCain's electrifying speech...

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

:rofl:

[redqueen]

89. GREEN with envy here...

the speech was electrifying on my little dinky TV... can't even imagine what it must have been like to be there... wow.

[babylonsister]

91. Wonderful post, you lucky person you! You touched history! nt

[grannylib]

93. Ya Sure You Betcha We Can! My daughter was there last night

and she said it was the best thing ever.
Wish I could have been there!
GoBama! :bounce:
Yes, indeed, the good guys are gonna kick rePigliCon ASS in November.

[RBInMaine]

94. AWESOME POST !! MORE LIKE THIS FROM EVERYONE PLEASE !!

[PleaseSayItAintSo]

96. Yes! I'm so proud of you, Minnesota. n/t

[alteredstate]

97. Wow.

K & R